Rebellion
by Lunaroid2906
Summary: AU. He was the prince of a fallen kingdom. And then he met her, the soul of weapon. Slightly OOC. –Nalu
1. Act One: Escaping

**~R~**

"Find them!" A man shouted between the pitter patter of drizzle, with sword held high as his soldier readied their horses. "Find them and kill them! Our lord won't be able to sleep in peace if his enemy is still alive! Wandering around the world, seeking for the destruction!" He shouted again, earning a spirit-filled yell from his soldiers.

"Now go! Find them, kill them on sight! Bring back their heads for it can be our Lord's greatest joy!"

As the soldiers' horses took off, leaving the brown dust flew to the sky, the captain held his head high, facing the gray sky and its white skyline. God knew how bloody a war could be, and he did this all for his Lord. Not long after the fall of Crocus and the disappearance of Fairy Tail, Magnolia had been a war zone since then. A great war zone, filled with dry blood on the ground and weapons jabbing the soil.

He stood still, not attempting to move his horse and give aid to his soldiers. Three people on the run were nothing against his armed thirty-three soldiers and their mighty horse.

His weary eyes focused to the drifting clouds in the dark sky. He could be careless towards his surroundings, but he chose not to. This might be his last time to be able reminisce, before any other greater war came over him.

And destroy Magnolia till nothing but a sinful battleground, he mused sadly.

In his west was the Cathedral. The once beautiful and artistic building was now a mere pile of rubble, alongside with burn marks on here and there. Long time ago, he wished, once the word of war reached his ears, that the building would somehow stood tall until the war passed. But it only took an hour for the building to be burned down to ashes and rubble.

It might be a selfish wish of an old man. Because to be able to see his prince marrying his dream girl off in that sacred place would be his greatest joy.

But that brat wasn't his prince. Not anymore, he thought grimly. This was the Kingdom of Magnolia, ruled by Igneel Dragneel.

But now, his lord preferred this place as the War Zone B26, and his lord now wanted him to kill the once-king and queen, and eventually, the prince.

Ironically talk, he was still assigned as the Head Captain by his lord, despite of the lord's knowledge of his hatred towards him. The lord knew he would rather die than serve him, but he gave him a hard choice, which was painfully impossible to be declined.

Thus, leading to the lord's first demand as his new leader, his lord wanted the past royalties to be killed. And he, being unable to fight back, nodded in silent and anger.

His army consisted of thirty-three soldiers armed with sword and dagger, with one horse for each soldier. Those thirty-three soldiers weren't his. His were already dead, honorably. They died, either to fight the lord's soldiers or to help his king and queen to escape; they died honorably but not miserably. Silently wishing, he wished he was also dead for protecting the royalties.

But since he was still alive, this was his only chance to help the people who he had faithfully served for a half of his life to escape and seek for aid.

**~Rebellion~**

**Act One: Escaping**

**_Three months ago_**

"Your Majesty!" A thin man came and exclaimed loudly across the throne room, not minding his manner as he approached the thrones. "Our messenger received the message from the Forest Hermit!" He quickly bowed and proceed on giving his king the scroll.

King Igneel opened the scroll and read the message. His eyes narrowed, earning a worried look from the queen. "Arrange an urgent meeting now," he commanded as he gave the queen the scroll. The thin man, which was one of his guards, ran with all his might to inform the meeting between the council and the king.

"The Great Kingdom of Crocus had fallen," whisper the queen in shock as she finished reading the message, "there will be a war, just as I dreamed months ago." Her voice was quiet, as if mourning after the cruel future her dream had shown her.

The king stood from his throne. "It is not your fault, nothing can ever change the fate," he replied, although he wished he had done better to avoid the war. "I shall be on my way to the meeting room now. I will ask the guard to accompany you back to our chamber."

Queen Grandine nodded as she stood, waiting for the guard to come to her side. "What about Natsu? We shall not let him know any single thing about this," she said.

"No word will reach his ears as long as he does no such attempt of interfering and our men will say nothing to him. Rest assured, my queen," he turned and leave the room. The queen stood in front of her throne, hand clasped in a silent prayer as she eyed the back of her husband.

"My Queen," the guard called as he bent on his knees, "shall we go to Your Majesty's chamber?"

"Wait," she whispered, "let us go to the Prince's chamber first."

"As you wish."

**~R~**

"Your Majesty," Natsu bowed as the queen entered his room, momentarily forgotten to his task.

"You may leave, Capricorn," she dismissed the guard as he took a deep bow and leave the room. Walking across the room, she sat on her son's bed as she watched the snow fall slowly. "Going to train your swordsmanship?" She asked after noticing the sheathed short sword strapped to his belt.

"Yes," he nodded, "is there something Your Majesty need?"

Queen Grandine continued to stare at the snow through the window. "No," she said, eyes hardly blink to maintain the neutral expression, "Well, to be honest, there is," she sighed quietly.

The young prince frowned. Often he saw his mother staring into the distance on a snowy day, but he never did able to guess what was on her mind. He never dared himself for questioning it out loud. But now that she was a little bit more quiet, he braced himself to ask. "Mother," he spoke quietly, "is something bothering you?"

When his mother didn't reply, nor giving a visible response, he called, "Mother?"

"Ah, sorry, I spaced out," she replied with a smile with a hand wiping her eyes. "Natsu?"

"What is it?"

"If there was a war to be started here," her blue eyes locked with his, "what position will you be on?"

Natsu could see a glimpse of worry in her neutral expression. His eyebrow raised in confusion. One question appeared in his mind.

_Why the sudden worry?_

Albeit the slight tension he felt, and the curious stares his mother gave him, he smiled. "You know," he exhaled, then grinning widely, "I will be the leader of our soldiers!"

The queen smiled. "What kind of situation a sixteen year old boy can handle, I wonder?"

His grin remained, as if unnerved with the comment of his mother's. "I may be a boy now, but I am the prince of the Kingdom of Magnolia! I will be the king of our kingdom and Magnolia will be at its golden era when I rule!"

"Oh," and her smile widen, "what makes you so confident with that?"

"I have trained in swordsmanship with the best, learned from the best, I sure am will be the best king our kingdom ever ruled," he spoke.

Queen Grandine sighed. "To be a king, one will not only be judged by his intelligence," the grin on his face started to subdue into a thin line, "you will also need experience. One's intelligence will be useless if he has no experience."

"And skill, do not forget skill, then I will disagree no longer, Your Majesty," a man came into the room, startling the boy and made the queen's smile went a bit wider. "Pardon my rudeness, Your Majesty, but I think my feet almost frozen for waiting this brat."

"Gildarts– hey! Put me down!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty," he bowed, but not letting the boy away, "I will be a little bit rude to you this morning since my apprentice won't show himself on the promised time."

"Put me down, you old geezer!" Natsu screamed, trying to kick the man, but only earned a slap on the back of his head.

"Ah, no worries, Gildarts. And I am also at fault here," the queen chuckled lightly at the male's antic.

"Ten laps for letting me wait out there," Gildarts put down the boy in an abrupt movement, making the Prince to land on his butt.

"You fuckin' drunken old man!"

"Natsu, language," Grandine reminded with a slight growl.

Gildarts gave the queen a grin as he noticed the scowl on his apprentice's face. "And another ten laps for your language in front of our queen," he laughed before walking out of the room, waving his hand to the queen in the process.

"Well, Mother heard him," Natsu scratched his neck before adjusting the belt on his waist. He bent down and kissed his mother on her hand. "I will see you at lunch," then he stood to face his mother.

"Remember, watch your language, young man," she said.

The prince only grinned as he nodded then bowed. Turning around and exhaling, he walked to the door. "Your Majesty," he paused at the door, gaining Queen Grandine's attention. His voice sounded determined, "I will be a king one day, one that is wiser and stronger than King Igneel."

Grandine smiled and remembered the exact same sentence Igneel used to say in his youth day. "But before that," he continued, head turned to see his mother over the shoulder, "I will lead my soldier to the battlefield, to the war, and bring victory back home."

He flashed his trademark, wide toothy-grin before walking out of the room. And then, there the queen was, once again staring into the distance over the snow. "Natsu," she whispered, quietly, "foolish young man," she watched as a group of her soldier went and their horses walked out of the castle.

If there were a war to be started here, what position will you be on?

She remembered the same sentence Igneel ever asked her when they were young.

_"I will be with you as the Queen, maybe helping you in the background, I'm capable of doing anything!"_

_"Wrong answer, Grandine."_

_"Then what?"_

_"If there was to be a war started here, our current men powers won't be able to fight the opponent off. That way only leaves you to one final option."_

The queen sighed as she noticed the presence of her husband among the soldiers. He led his men out of the castle, a big possibility that he wanted to warn the people to get ready for the war and leave the kingdom quickly.

_"You should be the survivor."_

**~Rebellion~**

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_**is it good? is it bad?**_

_**your thought? act two is coming up**_

_**critics and suggestions are welcomed**_


	2. Act Two: Meeting

**~Rebellion~**

**Act Two: Meeting**

**_Present_**

He was the best swordsman in the kingdom at the age of thirteen, and had been once appointed for giving a mind of making a strategy by His Majesty The King of the Great Kingdom of Crocus around seven months ago, if not more. He was always winning the chess game and often invited by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Crocus.

He learned from the best; politic, economic, culture, you name it. He even took a medical class from the Forest Hermit (whom he preferred to call as 'old woman' or witch, and also coincidentally was his aunt) but never he did once heal someone.

He was the Prince of the Kingdom of Magnolia, one that would lead his soldier to the war zone and brought back glory home. He would be the king in the future, he had many good relationship with the other kingdom and many people sought for his aid. For fourteen years old, he had been prepared for being the future king.

He was Natsu Dragneel, whom no one never unheard of his name, and he would be the next king, replacing King Igneel. In less than six years, he would be inaugurated as the king.

But if that was so, then why he was here, running into the forest, deeper each second passed?

He had his sword with him - he could fight those soldiers off and gather his men, but his father commanded him to run. It felt like it was only a second ago that his parents were both on his side, running into a place which only his mother knew the whereabout. And in a split of a second later, they fell to the ground with a sword stabbing through their chest.

If Natsu could scream, he would, but he only stumbled back and fell to the ground with eyes wide in fear and shock. His parents were both died, and he left unable to do anything but running without direction. He didn't even know what awaits him at the place they were heading to. Could it be a shelter? Or a hidden weapon storehouse?

Staggering his hurting leg to lean on a tree, he was glad that he could no longer hear the sound of the pursuer. It was small and unclear, but he swore he heard the General Makarov's voice, commanding the soldier to return. Just then, he finally let out a tired sigh as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"Shit," he muttered. A hand clenched into a fist while he tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his feet. "Shit, shit, shit!" The throbbing crept to his head, creating a painful migraine on the left side.

Sunlight passed through and touched his cheek. Natsu was quite surprised that the drizzle didn't grow into a downpour, remembering the thick cloud before he entered the forest. Inspecting the surroundings he was resting on, he decided he could rest for a little longer since he was hidden behind the thick bushes and tall trees.

One hour of resting, then back to search for whatever mother searched, he thought to himself as he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the insect's buzzing sound all around him.

**~R~**

"General Dreyar," one of his men called and gave him salute, "there's still one person escaping into the forest. We will pursue him now if you give us the command."

"That would be not necessary. The forest is full of wild animals, he should be dead, eaten by a tiger or a crocodile," the old man replied, gaining a nod and bow from the soldier. Leading his horse to the stable, his mind couldn't stop thinking about the safety of his prince.

True that the eastern forest was the most dangerous forest that surround the kingdom, and he couldn't find the reason of why the queen insisted for escaping through that place. He had once heard about a secret weapon hidden there by the great-great royalties. But to think that she wanted to use the weapon now was quite… desperate.

The general let out a sigh. Now he had to think a lie for the report his Lord had asked to be reported right after he finished the operation. Surely a lie and a very nice talk so his Lord won't send another group to kill the prince.

"Your Majesty," he bowed as he reached to throne where his Lord currently residing. "I've come to report the mission."

The man on the throne smiled with his head resting on his palm. "I believe it is a big success, General Dreyar," he spoke, loud and clear, full of demanding aura.

"It is, my Lord. Our soldier even brought back their heads, I suppose it will be a great joy for you," Makarov bit his cheek as he said so.

"Indeed," the Lord chuckled. "Raise your head, General, and you may leave now."

Makarov straightened his back but he didn't take a step from where he stood. "Actually, my Lord, one person is still on the run back in that forest."

At the raise of the Lord's eyebrow and no comment from him, he continued, "But rest assured, for the forest is full of wild animals. I'm sure he will be dead, eaten by tiger there."

"Very well," he said as he waved his hand to dismiss him. Makarov bowed and walked to the door, but his loud voice stopped him, "If he aren't dead by the end of the week, then you will be."

Makarov could only turn around to nod and gave a bow before leaving the room. Taking another sigh when he was far from the room, and closer to the dungeon, he could finally put himself at ease as he saw him behind the bars.

"Thinking too much, old man?" the man, whose legs chained in a corner, spoke to him with an evident grin on his face. The man who guarded the prison took a step closer, seeming to warn the man in the prison to watch his tongue.

"Leave us alone," commanded the general, earning a salute from the guard. Makarov pulled a chair and sat in front of the prison, eyeing the man with a wide grin. "Haven't eaten your lunch yet?" he asked after noticing the seemingly untouched bread.

He shrugged, "Not having any appetite," he said. "Anyway, how's your mission?"

"Unfortunately a success," he replied gloomily. "Can't do much if you were threatened of the Lord himself would be the Their Majesties' pursuer. You should understand that, Gildarts."

"Even the prince?"

"No, I spare him," he said while holding back the nauseous feeling of imagining the heads his Lord's soldier presented to the lord. "Hopefully our Prince can find whatever the Queen sought."

Gildarts nodded in silence, making the whole dungeon's creepy aura a lot more vivid. He felt cold wind brushed against his feet from the gap of the prison's wall. "You know, we should renovate this dungeon," the swordsman spoke, a hint of pity in his eyes, "I can break free easily if I want to."

Makarov laughed. "Then why not?"

Once again, Gildarts grinned. "I want to believe in our prince, in His Royal Highness' skill of finding the help from the other kingdom," he said and scratched his neck, "well, and maybe gaining some forces to kick our Lord's ass out of this kingdom?"

"I cannot disagree with you," he grinned as he pulled out his pipe, earning a questioning look from the prisoner. "Oh, this? Well, no smokers can actually quit smoking, correct?"

"With me drinking some booze," he paused to let out a huge, satisfying yawn, "then it will be just like the old time."

"Yeah," Makarov blew out the smoke, "the peaceful, boring old time."

**~R~**

As Natsu forced himself to open his eyes, while groaning quietly in pain, his hand went to his waist and was able to feel his only weapon still strapped there securely. He brushed away the drowsiness and quickly searched for his pocket watch. The time hadn't changed that much, yet it felt like he had been sleeping for an entire day.

But he got no time to think about that. He should be advanced to that place. Once again, he ignored the pain on his feet and started to walk, quite limply. Natsu took a heavy breath on every step he took, and to distract himself, he looked up to the sky. The sky was dark, even darker than before. There might be a downpour heading towards him.

And as if on cue, he felt a large droplet fell to his hair. And then another one on his hand. And before he could figure where the third fell on, he was already soaked. Head to toe, he was drenched.

Stopping on his track, his eyes focused more to the drifting clouds. His once-spiky hair fell and covered his eyes. Lips turned a frown. The Prince didn't usually like the rain, but if it was helping him to distinguish the tears, then nothing matters.

"Your Highness!" Natsu snapped from his daydream and looked to the source of the voice called for him. There, he saw a girl, shorter than him with wide brown and golden colored eyes. For a moment of locking his eyes and hers, he felt like was sucked into her, into her eyes.

Unable to hide his curiosity, he asked, "Who are you?" but it was spoken in a whisper. He darted his eyes to his surroundings and had his hand gripping the hilt of his sword in caution, yet he couldn't help but to feel relieved of being found by the girl.

"I'm afraid we have to save the question for later," she placed his arm on her shoulder, in which Natsu could feel how thin she was, "we should get to move, please lean on me, Your Highness."

"Where to?"

The girl didn't reply, but it didn't really matter anymore. Sooner or later, they would reach the place, whatever that place is.

They walked in silence, with Natsu walked rather limply. The drowsiness kicked up and almost made him lost his footing, but he managed to gain his balance without making them stop. He heard a constant clicking sound came from somewhere near him. Studying the girl, he noticed a pair of bangle attached to her ankle, each connected with a chain.

"Wait," he said, "wear this," he gave his robe to her. She eyed him in confusion with a hint of doubt. Natsu turned his head away, "Your dress is white, don't you notice it?"

He heard a little squeak before his robe taken by her. Natsu turned his head towards the girl, whose head now bowed in shame. She muttered a little thank you with a stutter - which Natsu couldn't help but finding it quite amusing - as she gripped the wet robe tightly with one hand. She offered her other free hand to him and put his arm around her shoulder once again. The robe covering her small body just fine, although it touched the ground and making their pace a bit slower.

He went back to studying her. Her hair was golden colored, almost the same color as her right eye, if not more radiant. Upon noticing it, they stopped. Natsu saw a small hut and sensed no one living inside. Still leaned to the girl, they entered the hut and gave him the impression of trapped.

She had him sat on a chair as she retreated to a dark corner. Another clicking sound caught his interest, but he couldn't see what she was doing since there was no light. "What are you doing?"

"My deepest apologies, Your Highness," she said in a small voice, "I have to stay here."

"Why?" he asked, but received no reply from her. Not knowing what to do, he told himself to inspect the environment around him. Maybe he could find something useful; clothes or even food. Luck wasn't on his side that time as he failed to find them.

"Who are you?" his voice fell into one that was full of suspicion, eyes narrowed slightly, "Ally or enemy?"

**~Rebellion~**

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**any thought for this one?**

**it's a slow progress but it will get clearer**

**will continue if you like it though**

**thanks for reading**


	3. Act Three: Bonding

**~Rebellion~**

He saw her shifted, even with the slightest light on the small hut in the middle of the forest. The chain produced some crackling sound as she moved almost uncomfortably. Her right eye was visible, albeit slightly dim, and it focused on the floor. She was, certainly, avoiding his question.

"Well?" he asked, head rested on the palm of his head as he stared at her. She hugged her knees and bowed her head slightly, her eyes now barely visible for her bangs fell in front of it. Natsu sighed. "I hate to talk like this," he said to himself in a murmur as he stood, then spoke with a louder, full of authority voice, "Answer my question, that's an order," he looked down at her, "or you actually dare to refuse me?"

A small gasp reached his ears and she looked up to him almost hesitantly, before kneeling to him. "M-My deepest apologies, Your Highness," she stammered, "but I dare not to speak without Her Majesty, Queen Grandine's permission."

"What do you mean by that?" he stumbled back to his seat as she kept her kneeling position. "No, stop it, raise your head." His mind almost didn't want to register what she said just now. Clenching his fist, he said, "Explain yourself."

The girl raised her head, a look of hesitation was clear as her eyes radiated the look of plea. "B-But, Your Highness–"

"Queen Grandine is dead, now I'm the one you should ask for permission to."

**~Rebellion~**

**Act Three: Bonding**

That sentence left a tangy, bitter taste in his mouth. Feeling a stare from the girl, Natsu couldn't help but turned his head away. He couldn't afford to meet her questioning gaze, but he could explain.

"She is dead," he repeated, "and my father, too. A small kingdom attacked Magnolia, but surprisingly managed to put our kingdom into a straight downfall. We escaped, the queen led us three here, but didn't manage to as the enemy's pursuer reached us and.." he stopped. His mother's saddening smile as blood trailed out of her mouth was scary enough to make him cursing inwardly.

"Queen Grandine is…" she muttered, her eyes wide in shock, "d-dead..?"

Natsu only nodded weakly. "N-No way…" she whispered, her hand clasped together as she covered her mouth, "i-it is my fault… It is all m-my fault…" her whisper came with a stammer, golden eye dimmed in shock. "It's my fault…"

"What do you mean?" he asked. "No, explain yourself, your relation with the queen, why are you here, everything!" He almost shouted in exasperation - too confused of things about her.

"M-My name is Lucy," she started, as if she was going to tell a tall tale, "and I am an _Anima_. Anima is a soul of abandoned object or weapon that took a form of human and always looking for a master who is willing to use them."

"So you're not a human?" She shook her head. "Continue."

"Yes. Q-Queen Grandine is– was my master," she corrected her mistake quietly, "but now I'm no one's. Our c-contract is broken now."

Natsu nodded. To think that his mother held a secret from him was nothing to be questioned. "How many Anima can be found in, say, Magnolia?" he asked, feeling a bit curious about the new matter.

"W-Well," she stuttered, "Anima is rare nowadays and it gets harder to find an unbound Anima so…"

The rain got harder as he could hear the wind blow outside. It was a miracle that they could stay warm in the hut. "The conclusion is that you and the queen ever had a contract?" she nodded. "Mind explaining what a contract is?" he asked.

"If someone owns an Anima, he or she should make a contract so no other man could claim the Anima. The owner, which we called as master, can do anything with them," she fell into a silent for a while, "mostly for fighting, b-but that depends."

"Right, Anima is a soul of an object."

She nodded again, eyes suddenly looked away to the side. "It depends on the master, i-if he or she has a strong will, the quality of his Anima increased," her hand fiddled with the hem of her dress, "or in another case, it took a whole new form," she added in a whisper.

Natsu, taking a note about her sudden withdrawal, bent down and plopped a hand on her hair. "I'm sorry for talking like that, you must be scared, right?" he gave her a lopsided grin. "Don't worry, I'm here, there's nothing to be scared of and I'm not gonna hurt you."

Peering through her bangs, she felt warmth crept to her face as she inched away from him. "H-How," she whispered, making his rub on her head stopped, "how can you be so strong?"

He smiled at the question almost sadly. Resuming to give the Anima a soft rub on her head, he replied levelly, "Nah, I'm not that strong."

**~R~**

To think about the girl, Lucy, and the circumstances he was in, it was quite hard not to forget the whole matter outside the hut and keep talking about her and her relation with his mother. The war, he knew nothing about it. He had only returned from a week long trip to his distant cousin, only to be greeted by his parents telling him to run with them.

Back then, he had no time to ask for any explanation about the war, and why his mother led them into the forest. She said she could ask for help from another kingdom quicker, but in the end, she died, followed by his father.

Natsu sat with arms crossed over his chest. Looking at the outside, he noticed that the rain almost subsided. If the enemy sent dogs to pursue him, it was all over. He had to go out of the kingdom to seek for help, and quick.

_But, how? The enemy is surely guarding the exit way._

"Lucy," he called, "you said that your contract with Her Majesty is broken, right?"

She nodded from on her place, the chain made a sound as she moved to face him. "Then," Natsu stood, "I want us to have the contract."

"No!" the Anima shouted.

"Why not?" he asked, perplexed.

She bit her lips and averted her eyes. "Her Majesty once said," she whispered, "that I'm dangerous and that many people will come after me. And if I bound to you…"

"I will be in danger as well, right?" despite the gloomy atmosphere surrounding them, he gave her a smile. "I am already in danger now," he chuckled. "Don't worry, I know the consequences, so if you are chased, I will be too and vice versa. We can escape together, we will run away together."

Her eyes lit up. The one with golden color glimmered. Their eyes locked for a moment, and he felt he could dive into her golden eyes, deeper into her soul. "Don't you trust me?" he asked, a smile didn't waver as he saw her standing, making the sound of the chain reverberated around the small hut.

Clasping her hands together in front of her chest as she kneeled, a golden glow appeared around her. A small, hesitant smile formed on her face. As the glow dimmed down, a golden yang-shaped mark appeared on Natsu's left forearm and the other half appeared on her right forearm. "I trust you, Your Highness," she looked at him, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

He gave her another grin. "Now," he extended his hand, "shall we escape?"

"Yes, master."

**~R~**

"You know," Natsu said in a whisper as they walked almost in a crouch, "I do really hope you can take off those bangles. It started to get on my nerve."

Lucy avoided the branch on her left side as she trailed behind her new owner. "My apologies, Your Highness, I'm afraid I can't do that," she whispered.

"Why?" he asked, "No, the explanation can wait. Look at that," he pointed from behind the bushes. Across them was the gate to the outer Magnolia. A pair of big, wooden gate with complex carvings and a big symbol of the kingdom.

"It's beautiful," she commented.

"Right," he gave a small laugh, "if only those guards weren't there, it will be even more beautiful." Natsu eyed the gate. Surrounding it was four guards. Two had a sword, a shield, and two daggers strapped to a small pocket on the thigh. And the other two, instead of swords, they held a spear. "Shit, this will be really hard."

"Your Highness," Lucy called. "I.. I think I have an idea."

"Shoot," Natsu turned to her.

She narrowed her eyes. "But I'm not sure if this will work."

"It's okay, if we failed, we can always use some… violence," he grinned.

**~Rebellion~**

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**any thought? or suggestion?**

**leave review, will you?**

**thanks for reading**


	4. Act Four: Moving

**~Rebelion~**

**Act Four: Moving**

He sat on the throne, a smirk plastered on his face, while someone bowed across him. The man leaned to the golden throne as he fingered a rose in his hand. "So you're pretty sure that the runaway prince is dead?" he asked.

General Makarov stood straight. He would rather die than having to bow to some enemy. "We assumed so, we've searched around the forest, but no one found any clue about him," he paused, thinking whether he should tell his discovery or not. He sighed inwardly. "And I found a hut hidden behind the shrubs. It appeared empty and we found no signs of someone have been using it."

The Lord's smirk widened, showing sharp canines as he stood. His light footsteps somehow resembled King Igneel's, yet he radiated pressure and cruelty, as if he could kill him any time he wanted to.

"You know, General Dreyar, I can see when people lied," he said in a calm voice, but Makarov knew better - this man wanted him to spill everything he knew from his investigation. And he won't take a no for the answer.

"We found a short chain that patched to a wall in a corner of the hut," Makarov bit his cheek as his eyes narrowed. "It might have been used to restrain something."

_Forgive me, Your Majesty…_

The Lord nodded. His smirk disappeared as he thought about the information he received. It had been only several hours from the first pursue yet he managed to get away. He didn't say he believed the general; he knew how loyal the old man was to his king. Shame on it, he mused, for he was an excellent pawn if only his loyalty can be easily ripped away.

"My Lord!" someone barged into the throne room. "We found two suspicious people at the gate. We brought them here!" he said from the door.

The Lord grinned as he glanced at Makarov, who had his eyes widened in disbelief. "Bring them in," he commanded.

"Let go of us, bastard!"

"Shut up! Bow before the lord!"

Makarov looked at the two people in shock. He recognized very well that voice. And that pink hair, he knew that the young man was no other than the prince himself. But he didn't recognize the other who was with him. A girl, he presumed. She had the prince's robe wrapped around her and covered her head.

"Your Highness!" he hissed, not quite liking the way his prince being treated harshly.

"Stay there, General," the lord smiled mockingly, "or you will have your head placed beside them." Makarov knew who he referred as them. He couldn't afford his prince knew what the Lord did towards his king and queen. It would anger him, or worse, he would try to kill the lord.

"Welcome to my castle, Your Highness," he chuckled as the young prince gave him a feral growl. "Worry not, Your Highness, for I will treat you well here."

"Bastard," Natsu hissed as he tried to break the bind on his wrist, "who the hell are you?!" he shouted.

The Lord walked to him and gave the signal to the guards to quit the room. "Ah, where is my manner," he bowed deeply, the smile still intact on his face, "Pleasure to meet you, Your Highness, my name is Mard Geer of Tartarus."

Lucy gasped almost visibly at the mention of the name. "Tartarus…"

"Oh? What do we have here?" Mard Geer approached her and pushed away the robe from her head. "M'lady, have you heard about Tartarus before?" he asked as he slipped the rose in her hair.

"I…" she trailed off as their gazes meet. Her multi-colored eyes stared intently at his dark, slanted eyes. There was something behind those dark eyes. She felt something familiar aside from the pressure he emitted from his very own being. Under the intense stare of his unfathomable eyes, she felt herself frozen. As if she made any movement, those eyes would pierce her heart. He was simply...

_Scary..._

He closed his eyes as the smile widened a bit. "You have a pair of pretty eyes, indeed," he said before planted a kiss on the back of her hand. "Mixture of innocence and curiosity," he added as she continued to stare at him.

And as if awakened from a daydream, she quickly ducked when she saw Natsu threw a punch to the man. But it didn't hit him since he had disappeared so suddenly in a split of second. "Stay away from her!" he shouted to the man who was now sitting quietly on the throne.

"My, that is quite strong for you to be able to break the binding, Your Highness," he rested his head in his hand. A look of amusement was evident in his eyes. "And very rude, if I may add," he snickered tauntingly.

"Cut the crap already! I'll kill you!" he shouted and drew the sword.

"No, Your Highness! Don't!" Makarov shouted. Natsu glanced to the side to see the general. "You're no match with him!"

The look of vulnerable in the old man's eyes somehow made him even angrier. "No," he whispered. "I have to avenge my people, my parents, my kingdom!" Natsu ran to the smiling man, sword held high to strike the ever-smiling man. But before he could reach him, he disappeared. "How- Gah!"

Mard Geer appeared behind Natsu and kicked him, making the prince thrown to the wall. "Isn't it rude to attack your opponent while he doesn't hold any weapon? Your master should have trained you to fight politely, or am I wrong?"

"Your Highness!" Makarov ran towards him, but got stopped as the lord appeared in front of him, knocking him out by punching him on the back of his neck. The smiling man approached Natsu, a mocking look was clear.

"Why, Your Highness, are you having trouble getting up?" he asked, his smile turned into one with much more sinister. "Don't worry, let me," he placed a foot on Natsu's stomach, "help you!"

"Your Highness!" Lucy screamed as her master landed near her, not quite making any movement afterwards.

Mard Geer let out a laugh. He picked up Natsu's sword and walked near them. But instead of looking at the unconscious boy, he looked at her. And on instinct, she backed away slowly as her movements were limited from the chain on her ankles. Her master was right about the chain; she also started to hate it.

"Say, m'lady," he called, "mind telling me who are you? I know you're not an ordinary human, am I correct?" Lucy only stared at him with wide eyes. Something with this man was unknowingly frightened her. Yet she somehow had a hunch that she knew him. "You refused, I see," he put the sword on Natsu's neck, "Well, you can say your farewell to your prince, m'lady."

"No! Stop it!" she cried. "Master!"

And they disappeared, leaving Mard Geer smirking over the two people's sudden disappearance. He left the sword on the floor then walked to sit on the throne. Noticing a guard entered the room, he only put his hand up. "No, pursuing them isn't necessary, they might have gone to another kingdom," he said, earning a bow from the guard. "And for now," he continued, "bring me a prisoner here."

"Which one, my lord?" the guard asked.

His lips formed a satisfied smirk. "The Forest Hermit."

**~R~**

Of all wakeup call he had received from Gildarts, he hated it the most when he shouted in his ears because, unlike normal people, he had a pair of very sensitive ears which he found it quite useful for eavesdropping Gildarts' plan on bullying him. But he wouldn't ever dream of being woken up by falling to the ground.

"Ow… damn it," he moaned in pain as he rubbed his head. Scanning the scenery around him, Natsu found himself in the middle of flower bed. "Where the hell is this?" he asked to no one. "Wait, where is Lucy?"

"Your Highness!" he turned and saw her, a small smile on her face. "A-Are you alright?" she asked as she approached him, walking rather limply.

"Well, that was one hell of a wakeup call," he told her, as she smiled sheepishly. "Anyway, did you hurt your leg? Let me take a look." Lucy sat beside him as he looked at her leg. She flinched as he touched around the injury. "I'm sorry, Your Highness," she muttered.

"Nah, it's okay. You don't have any fracture, but this cut is pretty deep. We should stop it or else…" he trailed off, earning a worried look from her. Natsu took his robe, ripping the hem and wrapped it around the wound. "What's the matter now is that we are still alive," he stated, gaze meeting hers, "and we somehow escaped to this place. Where are we? No, what did you do?"

"I think… I think we did a teleport," she said hesitantly, peering through her bangs.

"You can actually do teleportation?" Natsu asked almost in disbelief. She nodded slowly, wanting to break off their gaze, but found it impolite. "That's cool! And here I thought it just exist in children's story. Why don't you do that earlier? We can just teleport to my relatives!"

Only then she was able to tear her eyes off of him. "My apologies, Your Highness," she believed she had apologized for the umpteenth times today, "I believe I can do the teleport, but it will drain much energy and since I'm pretty weak, I'm afraid I can't protect you."

Natsu gave her a frown. "Who gave you the obligation to protect me?" he asked in a puzzled tone.

"It's a rule for Anima," she replied, "We have to protect our master at all cost. There's three ultimate rules for every Anima being; We have to protect our master at all cost, we cannot kill our own master, and the contract can only break at the master's will, or if the master died."

Natsu stared at her, unfazed. The look in her face told him no lies in what she just said to him. Although she looked timid with the stutter on almost every word she said and the innocent look that appeared when she tilted her head in confusion, Natsu saw the bravery and determination that sparkled in her eyes as she gazed straight to him. Then he decided, as he stared intently into her eyes, that he had chosen the right choice. It was simply amazing that in less than a day he had found a companion.

Giving her a small grin, he stood and studied the scenery around him. They were in the middle of a big flower bed; that was the most obvious part. As for the other, Natsu could only think about the temperature was a bit frostier than in Magnolia. And the terrain was a little bit aslant.

"Err, Lucy, were you able to control the destination when you were teleported?" he asked, fearing he was at the wrong, wrong place of all places in Fiore. He turned towards Lucy, whose head was hung. A nervous smile was apparent on his face. "Did you able to?" he asked again.

And Lucy, as if sensing the slight paranoia of her master, answered in a weak shook while fiddling with her forearm. "I'm sorry… If only I was stronger…" Lucy whispered, and gained a soft rub on her head. Looking upwards, she saw her master already crouched in front of her, so that their head on a level. "It's okay, it's okay," he said while continuing to rub her head. "I know you were in a rush back then. And at least our plan on escaping succeeded," he soothed.

"The thing is," Natsu continued, scratched his head in the process, "we could be in enemy territory, and worse that my head has its own price since I'm an escapee now. Well, we could be anywhere, but I hope we aren't in their territory."

"I think we landed on a hill, somewhere in the east of Fiore. There might be a village around here, we can rest there!" she suggested, feeling rather tired from the teleport she did earlier.

Natsu placed a hand on his chin. "Yes, a small village is probably our best option for now. The news will reach them longer than a capital. We can rest, stocking some food and earning some money there. A small inn will be enough and–" the rest of his monologue was inaudible to Lucy as she felt her eyelids grew heavier. Fighting back the sudden drowsiness, she thought of the black haired enemy of Magnolia.

Tartarus, she swore she had once heard it somewhere in the past. But when was it precisely? She had been asleep for a long before the queen finally found her. She didn't even remember her past that well, yet she was sure she had heard it.

Mard Geer of Tartarus, Lucy made herself sure to remember it. Well, it wasn't as if she could forget that name easily. His sinister smile was the first who appeared in her mind when she thought that name. Both the name and person sent chills running down her spine. And if only she was stronger–

"–and we can stay there for two to three days if the villagers are oblivious to us. Lucy, are you listening?" Natsu peered at the silent girl. Through her bangs, he saw her eyes already closed and a small, steady breathe were heard. Inclined his head to the side, he let out a small laugh at how she was able to sleep in sitting position. "Well, a lot has happened today," he spoke in a whisper. Picking her up to his back, carefully as not waking her, Natsu then stared at the cloudless sky with a smile that was as if so carefree.

"To the nearest village, that is."

**~Rebellion~**


End file.
